Sack-cleaning machine.



I. A. BELT.- SACK CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.19, 1912.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

2 SHEETSBHEET 1 P.A.BE LT. SACK CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 19, 1912.

1 03930 2 Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

2 SHEETS-$HEET Z.

. s ATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS A. BELT, OF CINGINNATI, OHIO.

sAcK-oLEAmNc Macrame.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept; 24 1912.

Application filed February 19, 1912. Serial No'. 678,635.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, FRANCIS A. BELT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamil on and State of Ohio, have invented certa n new and useful Improvements in Sack-Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sack cleaning machines for cleaning cement sacks.

The object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive, efiicient and durable machine for thoroughly cleaning-cementsacks and which "collects the cement obtained therefrom so that for use. V

Another object of my invention is to provide a mechanical means for cleaning ceit can readily be obtained ment sacks which can be easily operated by.

one man without the liability of his being affected by the injurious cement dust com- 7 ing from the sack Still another object of my invention is to provide a machine which will accommodate a large number of cement sacks at one time and thoroughly empty, and clean them and collect the'dust coming'therefrom, thereby greatly facilitating the operation of cleaning them and saving a great 'deal of time and ex ense.

y invent-ion consists broadly in a machine for cleaning cement sacks comprising two chambers, a rotatable table adapted to carry a plurality of vertically disposed wire bracket supports, each of which is adapted to carry a cement sack, agitators or strikers adapted to engage said sacks, fans above said sacks, passages between said chambers, sweepers carried by said table adapted to sweep the cement dust into said passages, and operating means whereby said table is rotated.

My ,invention consists further in certain details of construction and combination of parts as will be hereinafter described in the following specification and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention, parts being broken away for the sake of clearness; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken through the center of the machine; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the floor to 'the upper-chamber, part broken away to show the drawers thereunder inside the lower chamber; Fig. 4 an outside elevation view showing the two doors to render the inner operating parts accessible; and Fig. 5 is. a perspective detail view-of one of the wire bracket supports for the sacks ."showing. the relative position of the top agitator.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 1 represents the outside casing or sides of my improved machine and 2 the top thereof. Oneside is provided with doors 3 to allow easy access to the operating parts in the chamber 7 The top is also provided with a door 4 to allow the cement sacks 5 to be placed upon the-wire supporting brackets 6 or removed therefrom. The upper door 3 on the side fits flush at the top with the door 4 on the top and the angle iron which fastens the top and sides together iscut away so that when both doors are open a large open space is provided both on top and at the side of themachine without an intervening frame work to interfere witi one filling the machine.

A chamber 8 is provided under the floor 9 of the upper chamber and is preferably divided into four compartments 10 in which drawers 11 are adapted to slide. The floor 9 is provided with passages or slots 9 through which the cement dust is adapted to fall from the chamber 7.

" The entire casing or shell of the machine may be made of sheet metal and portable to allow it to be moved about readily. The casing is provided with a plurality of agitators or bumpers 12, one extending horizon-. tally from each corner of the casing and located in the chamber 7 about halfway betweentop and bottom as shown in Fig. 1. and in dotted lines in Fig. 2 to show the point at which they strike the sack.

Mounted in the chamber 7 and disposed vertically from the floor 9- is a shaft 13 which fits over a pin 14 on a, plate 15 mounted on the floor 9. A disk or table 16 is fastened to the shaft at the bottom thereof which carries a. plurality of radially extending supporting arms, 17 each of which. is

adapted to su port a wire sack sup brt or bracket 6. T is table 16 is adapte to rolate with the shaft 13 upon rollers '18 mounted on the floor 9.v The shaft is preferably provided with an extension 19 coupled to it at the to which extends through the lid and has t eoperating handle 20 -loosely' fastened to its outer end; The operating ratchet wheel or gear wheel 2i, asthe case agitators 31, 12 and -2.8 are arrangedalter- {tor or striker extend may be, "is .tightly mounted on "the ex}- tension 19 therewith.

and thereby rotates the shaft The operating wheel 24 is adapted to rest upon rollers ,36 mounted on the top 2 of -the machine." The operating handle is provided with a pawl 22 pivoted thereto which is adapted to engage teeth or projections 23 on the wheel 24 and thereby.

drive the whee-T24 which in turn drives the shaft 13. y

The wire bracket supports 6 aresecurely fastened to the supporting arms 17 of the:

rotatable table 16 and are preferably constructed of wire twisted at the center 44 as shown in Fig. 5. The top corners may be bound at 25 with wire on other suitable material to protect'the sac-k when it is laced thereon. The wire bracket is forme with a recess 26 at the top thereof so that when a sack isplaced thereon it will be free to be engaged or struck by the agitators 28 at that point.

27 which extend. across the top 20f the casing, I provide two agitators or strikers 28 diametrically opposite each other consisting ofwires as best shown in Fig. 5. The agitas downwardly far enough to engage the sack where it extends 'settling on the table and to cause it to the table and the floor and prevent from getting under the table and interferingwith the rollers.

across the recess26 of'th'e bracket 6.

- 2A conical shapedshieldi21 'oi fender is provided over the t ble .16v being fastened above the supporting arms 17 and fitting around'the shat 13 to prevent the dust from "on the floor 9 beyond the periphery of the table 16. I The table is provided with a 'fiexible shield 46 made of leather, carpet or other suitable material atthe outer edge thereof which is adapted to cover the space between so mounted as t-Q engage the outside edge of the sacks. Ivalso provide strikers or a 1-] "--nately so that all w tators 31 to,strike the inside ofthe sac s; These agitators 31 are mounted on a ring or hoop32 provided with spokes 33 fastened toa hub '34 which fits around'the shaft 13.

The- 1100 1 or ring is held in its vertical position-by meains of rodsgi hextending down from the cross straps ,27 The s'trikersor 'at ithe SMHQ'lTlIDQz" Thus Thave provided strikers or agitators for striking 'the' sides and the inverted bottom 'of the sacks thereby opened. Fastened'to two support beams or'straps the door.

fall I dust ' over said su course properly 111 not strike the sacks assuring that the cement will be freed from all the seams and crevices in the sacks thereby thoroughlycleansing them.

Mounted above the wire support brackets I provide two fans 40 which are suitably mounted .on a shank or shaft 41 which is mounted in a bracket 42 fastened to, the top The shaft 41 is provided 2 of the machine. r at the upper end with a pinion wheel'oggear 43 tightly mounted thereon which is adapted tobe driven by frictional engagement with'the'drive wheel 24. The purpose of these fans is to'a'ssist in collecting the cement by settling the'cementduston the floor so that it can be brushed through the slots in the fioor by the sweeper'and thereby be de:- posited in the lower chamber. The: fans are adapted to generate a current of air and thereby direct the cementdust to the floor and also prevent the dust from escaping from the chamber when the top door 15 he fans 40' greatly facilitate the rapidity of the machines, operation by quickly clearing the atmosphere of the upper chamber of the dense'cement dust when the sacksare being cleaned, and which wf0uld require a comparatively long time to settle without their use. By using the fans the operator can collect the cleaned sacks immediately'without liability of inhaling the injurious cement The pinion wheels 43 together with the drive wheel 24 maybe regulated in size-to drive the shaft 41 the proper speed.

The operation of the device is as follows: The doors are opened and-the cement sacks are placed upon the wire supports 6. When the sacks are allplaced upon the supports by drawing the handle t en eperates the rotating table carrying the sacks and the sacks engage the agitators or strikers. Thisloosens all the cement which happens to bein the sacks and allows it to fall upon the' floor 9. The cement dust is assisted to thebottom of the machine bythe fanswhichdd not stir theair enough to raise that dust which has settled on thefloor. These fans are of regulated to cause just enough air motion to settle the dust in the air. The. dust as it settles on the floor 9 is sweptover the passages '9' by the sweepers,

30 through which passages it falls to the drawers 11. 'The drawers are provided for the'easy handling of the cement, and may the mouth of the sack down' port, the doors are closed and dust as soon as he opens be provided with a. slide or valve 37 having ahandle 38 for letting the cement out into a sack {hr other receptacle and emptying the drawer. The drawers are suitably guided in the lower chamber so as to slide readily and are provided with the handles 39 on the outside.

Many modifications of my invention might be made without departing from its spirit and scope and I do not wish to be confined to the exact details shown.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z- 1. A device of the character described having an upper. and lower chamber sepahated by a floor having passages therethrough, a circular rotatable table in said upper chamber, supporting arms extending radially from the periphery of said table, a

bracket supports thereon each adapted to carry asack, rotating means therefor, fans above the bracket supports, agitators adapted to strike sacks when they are placed on said bracket supports and the table rotated and a chamber adapted to receive the contents of the sacks.

3. In a device of the character described,

' the combination with a rotatable table having operating means, of a series of wire bracket supports mounted thereon and adapted to carry sacks, a chamber underneath said table and separated therefrom by means of a slotted floor, agitators adapted to engage the sacks when the table is r0- Gop'ies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. G.

tated, and a drawer in said chamber adapted to receive the contents of said sacks.

4. In a device of the character described, a casing, a table rotatably mounted therein, a series of supports thereon each adapted to carry a sack, rotating means for said table, agitators for said sacks, and a chamber adapted to receive the contents of said sacks.

5. In a device of ,the character described the combination with a rotatable table, of a series of wire bracket supports arranged radially thereonea-ch adapted to carry a sack, means for agitating the sacks, fans above said supports operated in connection with said table, a slotted floor under said table and a chamber under said table adapt- -ed to receive the contents of the sacksthrough the said slotted floor, substantially as set forth.

6. In combinat on an outer casing, doors "in the sides and top thereof, said casing comprising an upper and a lower' chamber separated by a slotted floor, a table rotatably mounted in the upper chamber, sweepers under said table brushing on said slotted floor, vertical wire bracket supports mounted on the top of said table and "adapted to carry sacks, fans above said bracket supports, drawers in the lower chamber adapted to receive the contents of said sacks through the slotted floor and operating means whereby said fans and table are rotated, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

FRANCIS A. BELT.

Witnesses:

OLIVER W. SHARMAN,

D. WALTE ROGERS.

Commissioner of Patents, 

